Pakistan Printer Censors Entire 'New York Times' Front-Page Story

BY LORENZO FRANCESCHI-BICCHIERAI

Pakistani readers were not able to see the International New York Times' front-page story, as it was censored by the newspaper's local printing partner.

Entitled "What Pakistan Knew About Bin Laden," the Saturday cover story by Carlotta Gall was completely blanked out in a conspicuous censorship effort.

The writer tweeted out a photo of the International New York Times edition in Pakistan, showing the huge white space where her story was supposed to be.

Other Twitter users in Pakistan confirmed that Gall's story was cut out:

The New York Times spokesperson Eileen Murphy told Bloomberg that the company's Pakistan printer stripped the story without The Times' approval or knowledge.

"We would never self-censor, and this decision was made without our knowledge or agreement," she said. "While we understand that our publishing partners are sometimes faced with local pressures, we regret any censorship of our journalism."

The 4,800-word story, which appeared on most copies of the international edition and in The New York Times Magazine in the U.S., is an excerpt from Gall's upcoming book, according to Bloomberg. It explores longstanding allegations that the Inter-Services Intelligence, Pakistan's intelligence service, knew Bin Laden was in the country, and might have provided him with shelter.

http://mashable.com/2014/03/22/pakistan-censor-new-york-times-story/